Examiner "Distractions" During Checkride

As an instructor,one of my favorite tricks is to set the altimeter
about 800ft low before the student gets in. The student inviably
turns the knob 200ft to minus 600ft, 1000ft lower than our field.
Then I keep asking how things look. Gets'em every time! The
lesson: Believe your eyes over the instruments!

On Apr 29, 7:59*pm, Michael wrote:
Hi all,

My checkride is a long way off, but this evening I read the PTS for
Gliders for the first time. *I noticed this section:

"Use of Distractions During Practical Tests
Numerous studies indicate that many accidents have occurred when the
pilot has been distracted during critical phases of flight. To
evaluate the applicant’s ability to utilize proper control technique
while dividing attention both inside and/or outside the cockpit, the
examiner shall cause a realistic distraction during the flight portion
of the practical test to evaluate the applicant’s ability to divide
attention while maintaining safe flight."

Obviously, the Examiner isn't going to do anything dangerous, but what
sorts of distractions have people encountered? *It is obvious when the
distraction occurs....or is it something subtle?

--Michael

In article
,
GARY BOGGS wrote:

As an instructor,one of my favorite tricks is to set the altimeter
about 800ft low before the student gets in. The student inviably
turns the knob 200ft to minus 600ft, 1000ft lower than our field.
Then I keep asking how things look. Gets'em every time! The
lesson: Believe your eyes over the instruments!

That's a good lesson, since the weather can do this to you too. The one
time I did it, I managed to do it to *both* altimeters in a two-seater,
and only discovered the error after getting off tow. Then I asked my
passenger what his read and found out that I did it to both seats. No
big deal as long as you're alert, of course, but I learned something
that day.

--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

GARY BOGGS wrote:
As an instructor,one of my favorite tricks is to set the altimeter
about 800ft low before the student gets in. The student inviably
turns the knob 200ft to minus 600ft, 1000ft lower than our field.
Then I keep asking how things look. Gets'em every time! The
lesson: Believe your eyes over the instruments!

Interesting. If your field elevation is under 1000 ft MSL I would have
assumed that the thousand-foot indicator pointing just left of zero would
be a tipoff.

GARY BOGGS wrote:
As an instructor,one of my favorite tricks is to set the altimeter
about 800ft low before the student gets in.


LOL! I do that too. Our field elevation is about 500 MSL and before the
student gets in, I'll set it to -500 MSL.

Getting back to examiner distractions and/or other things. My students
have reported among the following:
- miss-setting the altimeter as per above before flight when the
applicant is not looking
- purposely failing to lock the canopy (easy to do in a 2-33, more
difficult in other aircraft).
- suggesting chasing distant or downwind thermals.
- raising/lowering the gear while the examiners says "look at that
airplane over there".
- blocking the spoiler handle with his knee.
- suggesting a much longer downwind.

You get the picture.

Tony V

On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:59:45 -0700 (PDT), Michael
wrote:

Hi all,

My checkride is a long way off, but this evening I read the PTS for
Gliders for the first time. I noticed this section:

"Use of Distractions During Practical Tests
Numerous studies indicate that many accidents have occurred when the
pilot has been distracted during critical phases of flight. To
evaluate the applicant’s ability to utilize proper control technique
while dividing attention both inside and/or outside the cockpit, the
examiner shall cause a realistic distraction during the flight portion
of the practical test to evaluate the applicant’s ability to divide
attention while maintaining safe flight."

Obviously, the Examiner isn't going to do anything dangerous, but what
sorts of distractions have people encountered? It is obvious when the
distraction occurs....or is it something subtle?

--Michael

Not precisely a distraction, but Jim Foreman once pulled a move on me
during a club annual that was a nice dose of the unexpected. He had me
box the wake, and at the bottom left corner he popped the release to
see if I would automatically make the right turn -- which would be
into the rope. Of course, he had his knee positioned to block the
stick if I did...;-)

rj

Interesting. If your field elevation is under 1000 ft MSL I would have
assumed that the thousand-foot indicator pointing just left of zero would
be a tipoff.

You'd think - but it ain't so for about half of the folks I pull that
trick on.

Tony LS6-b "6N'

During my check ride for my private pilot's license many years ago, the
examiner showed up claiming that he was in a hurry, because he just got back
from a trip and his water heater was broken. I finally told him flat out
that if he didn't have the time to do the check ride, we should reschedule.
At that point he was cool. The whole point was to see if you would say NO.

Mike Schumann

"Michael" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

My checkride is a long way off, but this evening I read the PTS for
Gliders for the first time. I noticed this section:

"Use of Distractions During Practical Tests
Numerous studies indicate that many accidents have occurred when the
pilot has been distracted during critical phases of flight. To
evaluate the applicant’s ability to utilize proper control technique
while dividing attention both inside and/or outside the cockpit, the
examiner shall cause a realistic distraction during the flight portion
of the practical test to evaluate the applicant’s ability to divide
attention while maintaining safe flight."

Obviously, the Examiner isn't going to do anything dangerous, but what
sorts of distractions have people encountered? It is obvious when the
distraction occurs....or is it something subtle?

--Michael

In article ,
TonyV wrote:

Interesting. If your field elevation is under 1000 ft MSL I would have
assumed that the thousand-foot indicator pointing just left of zero would
be a tipoff.

You'd think - but it ain't so for about half of the folks I pull that
trick on.

It's too easy to see that hand where you "know" it is instead of where
it really is, when you're paying most of your attention to the 100s hand
anyway.

--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

These are all good tests. In my 7 years as a basic instructor flying first
flights I have had only one real problem flight,that was when a" Lady "
started to scream at about 100ft and didn't stop untill we finished the
landing roll .Far more distracting because she could not be talked round
and would not shut up.
We beat the tug back.






At 04:44 01 May 2009, Mike Ash wrote:
In article ,
TonyV wrote:

Interesting. If your field elevation is under 1000 ft MSL I would
have

assumed that the thousand-foot indicator pointing just left of zero
would
be a tipoff.

You'd think - but it ain't so for about half of the folks I pull that

trick on.

It's too easy to see that hand where you "know" it is instead of where

it really is, when you're paying most of your attention to the 100s hand

anyway.

--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

I don't see how a mis-adjusted altimeter gets by the pre-flight
checklist. Instruments: altimeter set to field elevation?

Mike